(21 August 2013) – The global shift towards making research findings available free of charge for readers (so-called ‘open access’) was confirmed today in a study funded by the European Commission.
This new research suggests that open access is reaching the tipping point, with around 50% of scientific papers published in 2011 now available for free. This is about twice the level estimated in previous studies, explained by a refined methodology and a wider definition of open access.
The study also estimates that more than 40% of scientific peer reviewed articles published worldwide between 2004 and 2011 are now available online in open access form. The study looks at the EU and some neighbouring countries, as well as Brazil, Canada, Japan and the USA.
Open access will be mandatory for all scientific publications produced with funding from Horizon 2020, the EU’s Research & Innovation funding programme for 2014-2020.